Fuel cartridge assembly for airborne power units



Sept. 25, 1962 D. MAPES ETAL 3,055,553

FUEL CARTRIDGE ASSEMBLY FOR AIRBORNE POWER UNITS Filed Oct. 29, 1959 ME RRRREE ,RQTHONY ORSINI Y RlCHARDHQHElDEK5BEBSEK ATTORNEY Patented'SeptL 25, 1962 3,055,553 FUEL CARTRIDGE ASSEMBLY FOR AIRBORNE POWER UNITS Daniel Mapes, West Caldwell, Anthony Orsini, Wyckolf,

and Richard W. Heidersberger, Jersey City, N.J., assignors to Specialties Development Corporation, Belleville, N .J., a corporation of New Jersey Filed Oct. 29, 1959, Ser. No. 849,621 3 Claims. (Cl. 222-95) The present invention relates to airborne power units for supplying auxiliary or secondary power, and, more particularly, to a fuel cartridge assembly tor such units.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide such an assembly which includes a supply of fuel, a source of compressed gas tor expelling the fuel, a valve for releasing the gas and means tor actuating the valve all built into a compact assembly which is readily stored, handled and inserted into the power unit.

Another object is to provide such an assembly having a weight tor its fuel and gas storage capacity.

A further object is to provide such an assembly which is economical to manufacture.

Other and 'funther objects of the invention will be obvious upon an understanding of the illustrative embodiment about to be described, or will be indicated in the appended claims, and various advantages not referred to herein will occur to one skilled in the art upon employment of the invention in practice.

A preferred embodiment of the invention has been chosen for purposes of illustration and description, and is shown in the accompanying drawing, forming a part of the specification, wherein:

The single FIGURE is a longitudinal sectional view, partly in elevation, of an assembly in accordance with the present invention.

Referring to the drawing in detail there is shown a fuel cartridge assembly for a power unit which assembly generally comprises a receptacle for storing fuel, an outlet fitting 11 for the receptacle, a container 12 for storing compressed gas utilized for expelling the fuel from the receptacle, a valve 14 for releasing the gas, a pressure regulator 15 for regulating the pressure of the rel-eased gas, and a conduit 16 providing fluid flow communication between the outlet of the pressure regulator and the interior of the receptacle.

The receptacle 10 comprises a lower section 17 having a hemispherical end wall formed with an outlet over which the fitting 11 is secured and having a cylindrical side wall, and an upper cylindrical section 18 which is connected to the side wall of the lower section at one end and is open at the other end prior to completion of the assembly. Preferably, the fuel is stored in a bladder 19 having an opening 20 at its lower end and a bead 13 on its outer wall between the upper and lower ends thereof.

The lower end of the bladder is secured to the fitting 11, and the head 13 is gripped in a joint 23 tor connecting the upper and lower sections of the receptacle '10 to thereby mount the bladder in the receptacle so that the portion of the bladder above the bead can collapse and extend into the portion of the bladder below the bead. This assures proper tunctioning of the bladder to expel its contents and prevents damage to the bladder upon being collapsed. Another advantage of this arrangement is that the bead serves as the seal tor the joint.

The fitting 11 comprises a body 21 having an inlet 22 which communicates with the opening of the bladder and having an outlet 24, and a disc secured in the body between the inlet and the outlet which is adapted to rupture when the pressure thereon at the inlet side exceeds a predetermined value. Preferably, the outlet 24 is constructed and arranged to receive a quick connect and disconnect fitting of the power unit to enable the assembly to be inserted and removed without the use of tools.

The container 12 is generally spherical and is constructed of two generally spherical upper and lower halves 26 and 27. The lower half 27 is inserted into the open end of the receptacle 10 and the halves are welded together at their equatorial edges 28 and to the receptacle section 18 at the edge of its open end to provide a pressure tight seal for the receptacle for its previously open end. Also, in this manner, a sturdy and compact multicompartment pressure vessel is provided.

The valve 14 and the pressure regulator 15 are of conventional and well known design and need not be illustrated or described in detail. The valve preferably is of the explosively actuated type which can he fired by an actuator circuit under remote or automatic control. The pressure regulator preferably is of the type adapted to reduce compressed air at 3000 psi. to some lower pressure.

The inlet 2 of the valve '14 communicates with the interior of the container 12, the outlet 4 of the valve and the inlet 6 of the pressure regulator 15 are in direct communication, and the conduit 16 is secured to the outlet 8 of the pressure regulator and extends through the container to the interior of the receptacle 10. A pressure tight seal is formed between the conduit 16 and the lower half of the container at the point 29 where it extends therethrough. This arrangement provides a streamlined construction which is free trom undesirable external projections subject to damage during handling and storage.

In operation, with the bladder 19 charged with fuel and the disc 25 in place, the valve '14 is opened to allow compressed air at a reduced pressure to enter the receptacle 10 externally of the bladder, whereupon pressure is applied onto the bladder. This pressure is transferred to the disc 25 to cause the same to rupture whereby the contents of the bladder are squeezed out and discharge as the bladder is collapsed. Preferably, the pressure of the compressed air is regulated to provide constant pressure flow for a sufficient period of time to completely collapse the bladder and expel its contents.

From the foregoing description, it will be seen that the present invention provides a simple, compact and economical fuel cartridge assembly adapted tor use with power units.

As various changes maybe made in the form, construc tion and arrangement of the parts herein, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention and without sacrificing any of its advantages, it is to be understood that all matter herein is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in any limiting sense.

We claim:

1. A fuel cartridge assembly tor a power unit which assembly comprises a generally cylindrical receptacle having a wall at one end formed with an outlet and being open at its other end, a normally closed valve for said outlet including a housing having a fitting adapted for connection to a fitting of the power unit, a bladder in said receptacle for storing fuel and having an opening in communication with said outlet and being secured Within said receptacle adjacent said outlet, a generally spherical container for compressed gas partially extending into said open end and being secured to said receptacle in pressure tight relationship at said open end to provide an end wall for said open end and partially extending outwardly of said receptacle, a valve tor said container at its outwardly extending portion having an inlet in communication with the interior of said container and having an outlet facing the interior of said container, and a conduit having one end connected to said last mentioned valve outlet and extending through said container at the inwardly extending portion and having its other end connected in fluid flow communication with the interior of said receptacle to introduce compressed gas into said receptacle to thereby squeeze the bladder and expel fuel therefrom.

2. An assembly according to claim 1, wherein said container is formed of two generally hemispherical pants, and a weld contiguous to said finst mentioned weld maintains said parts in pressure tight relationship.

3. A fuel cartridge assembly for a power unit which assembly comprises a generally cylindrical receptacle having a Wall at one end formed with an outlet and being open at its other end, a normally closed valve for said outlet including a housing having a fitting adapted for connection to a fitting of the power unit, a bladder in said receptacle for storing fuel and having an opening in communication with said outlet and being secured within said receptacle adjacent said outlet, a generally spherical container for compressed gas partially extending into said open end and being secured to said receptacle in pressure tight relationship at said open end to provide an end wall for said open end, a valve for said container having an inlet in communication with the interior of said container and having an outlet, a conduit connected to said last mentioned valve outlet and in fluid flow communication with the interior of said receptacle to introduce compressed gas into said receptacle to thereby squeeze the bladder and expel fuel therefrom, said receptacle having upper and lower sections, the upper end of said bladder having a shape which corresponds to the inwardly extending portion of said container and said bladder having a bead on its outer wall between the upper and lower ends thereof, and a joint for gripping said bead and securing said receptacle sections together, whereby said bead forms a seal for said joint and the portion of said bladder above said bead upon collapsing extends into the pontion of said bladder below said bead.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,158,904 Dunbar Nov. 2, 1915 2,513,455 Cornelius July 4, 1950 2,547,954 Mapes et a1. Apr. 10, 1951 2,676,605 Medcrew Apr. 27, 1954 2,924,359 Beremand Feb. 9, 1960 2,925,942 Schmidt et a1. Feb. 23, 1960 FOREIGN PATENTS 186,380 Austria Aug. 10, 1956 

